The Richardson Letdown | The New York Observer

The New Mexico governor stepped into the Democratic race with low poll numbers but enormous expectations. In his quarter-century in politics and government, he’d assembled a powerful résumé including service as a congressman, cabinet secretary, ambassador to the United Nations and, since 2003, chief executive of a state. He had a formidable diplomatic track record, the ideal credential for an election that will turn, to an unusual degree, on international issues. And his history-making potential as the first major Hispanic candidate for the presidency infused his campaign with an exciting sense of promise.

If anyone had the makings of a dark horse who could threaten the serious-candidate-tier monopoly of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, it would be Mr. Richardson. Or so the thinking went...